Trévallon – the Provençal exception

Last July a small group of us were treated to 'the second most comprehensive vertical tasting of Trévallon ever,' as UK importer Jason Yapp put it. The biggest collection of vintages of wine from this very particular property in the beautiful and hauntingly rocky countryside round Les Baux de Provence had taken place appropriately enough at the great Rhône wine lovers' meeting place of La Beaugravière in Mondragon in 2007.

Eloi Durrbach, giving up his architectural studies in Paris, planted 3 ha of vines in 1973 at St-Étienne du Grès at 50-100 m elevation on a property that had been...